Lockdown Closer
1 Peter 1, 2: 1-12
The idea of having a lockdown closer is a funny thing. Your team has this ridiculously effective pitcher waiting for them, and they save them for the last minute in the game, just to insure that a win is a win. The team needs someone that can handle the pressure, but a great closer is so good at handling pressure that he actually calms down the rest of the team. When you look up quotes about Mariano Rivera, you can find choice nuggets from great names like Joe Torre, Roger Clemens, and Goose Gossage talking about the gravitas that Rivera brings in. He brings a sense of assurance; the Yankees will win, and the other team will lose. The threat of Mariano Rivera, even if we’re still innings away and he’s goofing off in the pen, is enough to inspire teams to victory or condemn them to defeat. Nobody needs to even see him. They all know what he can and will do, and that’s plenty for now.
1 Peter 1: 3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Jesus is the Mariano Rivera for our team on Earth. We’re stuck on Earth for a while longer chugging through the game, but remember folks, we’re winning. Christ will win this Earth, and we can trust in Jesus like the Yankees trust in Mariano Rivera. His coming gives us patience, trust, and peace amidst what can be a pretty crazy life. We may not see Jesus personally (though some do), we can trust that he is there, biding his time, waiting for the proper time to come back and do everything he does. So what do we do in the mean time? We act like he really is coming. We do our best with the chances we get to announce his coming with praise, love, and joy. We show the rest of the Earth what it means to follow Jesus, and we go out in love to show what it means to us that everybody joins in. Jesus will show up and shut down the devil like Rivera does, and while Rivera only had a 93% converted save rate because he’s human, with Jesus there is no doubt of his converted save rate. All who come to him and profess him as savior will be saved.
